To use this map, cut it out and attach it to a stiff backing. Hold it over your head and line up the compass points on the map to the compass points on the horizon where you're observing from. East and west on this map are not backward. This is not a misprint. I guarantee that when you hold this map over your head, east and west will be in their proper positions. Also use a small flashlight and attach a red piece of cloth or red construction paper over the lens of the flashlight. You won't lose your night vision when you look at this map in red light.

Wintertime is a wonderful time for stargazing.

It's the Super Bowl of stargazing as far as I'm concerned! Not only is the air clear and not only do we see the brightest stars and constellations of the year, but this month you also see three of our planetary neighbors Venus, Mercury and Saturn.

So many times I hear, "I'm going to wait until warmer weather to stargaze." or "I'll get that holiday telescope out in April."

This is a big mistake. You're losing a golden opportunity to get to know the universe above you. Oh, I know it's cold, but now is the time to get serious with the night sky.

If you wait until spring, sure you'll be more comfortable, but by then we'll be losing the fabulous winter constellations in the western sky.

The air will also have a little more humidity, somewhat blurring the heavens, especially if there is any kind of urban lighting.

The biggest problem, though, with star watching in the spring and summer is that you have to stay up late. Once we hit late April, it's not dark enough until after 10 p.m.

This time of year, however, you're good to go for stargazing as early as 6:30 p.m. After you get bundled up against the rigors of Old Man Winter's chill, get ready for the really bright lights of the dazzling winter skies.

In fact, the show begins even before the end of evening twilight as the bright planet Venus dazzles the low west-southwestern sky and, as a bonus this week, look to the lower right of Venus for Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun.

Mercury's not as bright as Venus, but you should be able to see it. Just look to the lower right of Venus, less than a fist width at arm's length.

Saturn, the crown jewel of our solar system — well at least the runner up to our beautiful Earth — is making its grand entrance in our evening skies in February. The Earth and Saturn reach their closest approach to each other for 2007 next Saturday. Astronomically this is called opposition.

When you see Saturn in the low eastern sky early in the evening it'll be less than 800 million miles away and that's definitely close enough to take that Christmas telescope out and check out the rings of Saturn along with many of its moons.

My advice, though, is to wait until about 9 p.m. when Saturn is high enough above the horizon, avoiding Earth's atmospheric blur.

Meanwhile, the constellation Orion and his bright gang of constellations reach their highest point in the southern sky by around 9 p.m.

The constellations surrounding Orion are Gemini the Twins; Canis Major and Minor, the big and little dogs respectively; Auriga, the sheep-schlepping retired chariot driver and Taurus the Bull, with the bright Pleiades star cluster, also known as the Seven Little Sisters.

In the northern skies look for the Big Dipper, standing up on its handle, and the giant upside down "W" that outlines the throne of the constellation Cassiopeia.

You see those constellations and a few others every night in the north as they make a tight circle around Polaris, the stationary North Star.

Polaris is halfway from the northern horizon to the overhead zenith and every celestial object in the entire sky revolves around it every 24 hours.

Circumpolar constellations like the Big Bear and Cassiopeia are close enough to Polaris that it allows them to always be above the horizon.

Mike Lynch is an amateur astronomer and professional broadcast meteorologist for WCCO Radio in Minneapolis and author of the book, "Pennsylvania Starwatch," available at bookstores and at his Web site www.lynchandthestars.com